1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to molding apparatus and, more particularly, to a method for making a mold half, and specifically, a laminating mold half which is utilized for parts to be molded from fiber components. The mold half of the invention is formed with an inside surface matching the negative contour of the part to be molded therein. More particularly, the invention is directed toward making a molded component which consists of a nondevelopable surface and which is closely approximated by a developable surface.
2. Description of Related Art
As used herein, the term "nondevelopable surface" relates to a surface from which a planar development cannot be made without stretching or otherwise distorting the surface. An aerodynamic surface is an example of a nondevelopable surface.
In order to produce laminated parts, such as, for example, wings for gliders, from fiber compounds, molds which are made of plastic are utilized. When such molds are used for the manufacture of large sized parts, a coldsetting resin system cannot be utilized because of a short dropping time which is involved. However, the process of thermosetting is usually not a practical possibility in plastic molds. It has furthermore been found that the plastic mold surface will be highly stressed by the removal of the molded part from the mold and will require frequent repair. Additionally, production costs of such plastic molds tend to be high.
It is also known to use milled metal molds in order to produce the parts discussed above. Although a thermosetting process is possible in such molds, an expensive heating system is required in order to assure uniform heating of the mold without distortion. The mass of such a mold tends to be very great, so that production, transportation and installation of molds of this type tend to be costly. Moreover, the size of the mold is limited by the capacity of machine tools which are necessary in order to produce such molds.